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This working piano made of ice was unveiled at the 20th International Snow-Sculpture Art Expo in Harbin, China. Designed and built by a local landscaping company, the instrument can not only be played by tourists, it can also automatically play more than 30 classical pieces.

I question how easy it is to keep in tune, being outside in even moderately fluctuating temperatures.

Flint Thursday Jan 24 03:48 PM

Alan White (Yes) has a drum kit made of glass:

Wombat Thursday Jan 24 05:09 PM

I suspect the piano is just a basic electronic keyboard with a lot of ice decoration.

Nikolai Thursday Jan 24 08:35 PM

Coldplay on the piano anyone or how about the Artic Monkeys?

lumberjim Thursday Jan 24 08:37 PM

yeah. It really should be labeled Ice Organ. If it was a true piano, there would have to be wires and hammers and stuff. Im not seeing that kind of stuff there. id like to see more detailed shots of the innards

ZenGum Thursday Jan 24 09:01 PM

yeah, but if there was an IotD labeled "Ice Organ" people would be so disappointed when it turned out to be, you know, kind of like a piano.

I reckon about half of the cellar just crossed their legs tightly.

monster Thursday Jan 24 09:54 PM

....now no-one goes home disappointed

Ibby Thursday Jan 24 10:51 PM

I've been there!
Harbin is the fucking COLDEST place. It's in fucking siberia.

We're talking, -35, -40 degrees when I was there.
So cold, they made entire THEME PARKS out of ice.

Nowadays, the ice sculptures have to be judged within a day, so they don't melt. I only went four years ago.

Elspode Thursday Jan 24 11:47 PM

But on the bright side, snow cones are really cheap.

YellowBolt Friday Jan 25 07:52 AM

IOTD has covered the Harbin festival before, if you want to read a bit more about it.

morie Friday Jan 25 11:04 AM

somehow, i dont think that is a 100% ice paino so how did it get into the ice sculpture competition?

Morie

Shawnee123 Friday Jan 25 11:19 AM

The paino slept with one of the judges.

ZenGum Friday Jan 25 11:22 AM

...which resulted in A Major case of frostbite to the crotchet...

... which caused him to B flat ...

.... and she could C minor problems ...

... so he said, it will soon be pri-D sharp...

... and she said, is E natural?...

... and he said, F Off (key) ...

... and she said Hi, G, that's amazing ...

Shawnee123 Friday Jan 25 11:32 AM

Note to self:

Lock Zen in his room, throw away the key.

ZenGum Friday Jan 25 11:45 AM

C'mon, this is your forte as well as mine.
You know the score, as well as the rest.

What I want to know is, did the judge have a staff, and did the piano have a treble cleft?

Shawnee123 Friday Jan 25 11:52 AM

Your argument is sustained, though I don't care for your tone. I shouldn't mention it, knowing how bad your tempo is: it can explode in a minuet. Eh, I'll just pitch this out there, you duet the way you want.

ZenGum Friday Jan 25 12:06 PM

We'd had quite an intermission there, its about time for an encore. Aria-lise that this is a beat-up and I sound like a strumpet, but its a cymbal of my true thoughts.

Shawnee123 Friday Jan 25 12:14 PM

Well, ain't that just grand? Check hymn out, thinking he can just march in here and drone on like that. Chord you do me a favor and try a little modulation? I never mezzo nice a guy, but you've mode me over with your at-edude.

ZenGum Friday Jan 25 12:25 PM

Are you accusing me of violins?
I have to go in tenor fifteen minutes, so conductor-self well, and baton without me. I'll be Bach tomorrow. This was the mozartistic thread today.

Gravdigr Saturday Jan 26 03:00 PM

I think Zen's & Shawnee's G-strings are wound a little too tight.

chrisinhouston Sunday Jan 27 11:18 PM

Look on the bright side. During the Cultural Revolution, anyone wasting time creating such sculptures would have been arrested and sent to a re-education camp to confess their crimes against the motherland and Chairman Mao! Now they get money and fame for such works!